Factors Influencing Congressional Decisions

What are the three main factors that influence congressmen in making their decisions?

• Constituency, interest groups, and political parties

• Constituency, media, and political parties

• Interest groups, media, and political parties

• Constituency, media, and interest groups

Why do representatives pay the most attention to their constituents when voting on bills?

• Because votes are a record that constituents can easily check

• Because it is the most important part of their job

• Because it is the only way to get re-elected

• Because it is required by law

What is 'case work' in the context of congressional duties?

• Writing and passing new laws

• Direct service to constituents to build up their record

• Attending committee meetings

• Campaigning for re-election

How do congressmen anticipate what their voters will want?

• By holding town hall meetings

• Through public opinion polling

• By watching the news

• By reading letters from constituents

What is the main thing that interest groups provide to congressmen?

• Campaign contributions

• Media coverage

• Information for writing bills and making policy cases

• Public endorsements

At what stage of legislation are interest groups most influential?

• Committee stage

• Floor votes

• Public hearings

• Presidential approval

What is the Hastert Rule?

• A rule that limits the number of bills a congressman can propose

• A rule that mandates bipartisan support for all bills

• A rule that requires all bills to be voted on within a week

• A rule that only brings a bill to the floor if a majority of the majority party supports it

What is 'logrolling' in the context of congressional decision-making?

• Quid-pro-quo bargaining between congressmen

• A strategy for winning elections

• A method of delaying legislation

• A technique for gathering public support

When does the president have the most power in influencing Congress?

• When he has high approval ratings

• When he has strong public support

• When his party and the majority party in Congress are the same

• When he is in his first term

What happens during divided government?

• There is less political conflict

• Congress opposes whatever the president wants

• Congress passes more legislation

• The president has more influence